Communities in Action

Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community (HS4HC) is a statewide collaborative campaign with tobacco, alcohol, and nutrition partners. The goal is to improve the health of Californians through changes in the store environment and highlighting how marketing of tobacco, alcohol, and junk food products influences consumption of unhealthy products. Click on the video links below and hear from local partners about how retailers' can create a healthier environment in their community.

Youth in Santa Clara County participated in a mini-grant project to explore how tobacco impacts their community, and took action to lessen the impact. Youth planned and carried out community action projects to promote smoke-free parks, such as tobacco litter clean ups, collecting support letters, recruiting their peers and community leaders, and sharing results with their decision makers. Watch the video to see why they got involved, what their hopes are for future generations and how they were so successful! Click on image to view video.

Community Advocate Teens of Today (CATT), operated with funding support from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, began to actively organize their peers around tobacco-prevention efforts in the community. Through a mini-grant project administered by Santa Clara County sub-contractor California Youth Advocacy Network, CATT was able to expand their partnerships to 50 local youth, who developed eight video projects aimed at highlighting the health community impacts of tobacco from their perspective - many of which focused on creation of smoke-free parks. These projects were showcased at a February 2012 event attended by elected officials and community partners. The video highlights the showcase event, the youth's projects and successful community action in the Santa Clara County community. Click on image to view video.

As the local lung health leader, Breathe California of the Bay Area fights lung disease in all its forms and works with its communities to promote lung health. Breathe believes the most significant impact on people's lives takes place through local interaction.

Through education, political advocacy, cutting-edge research and patient services, Breathe uses a comprehensive approach to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce the impact of lung disease.

Quitting smoking is a big decision. Once it is made, there are many nicotine replacement therapies to aid people in becoming an ex-smoker. Having those options available and accessible means a much better chance to lead a tobacco-free life. Click on image to view video.

The Santa Clara County Tobacco Retail License (TRL) PSA was created by Community Advocate Teens of Today (CATT) tobacco youth coalition, the Tobacco Free Coalition of Santa Clara County, and the Healthy Milpitas Campaign. Community Media Access Program produced the film. The video features youth and adult tobacco prevention advocates who speak to the critical need for cities in Santa Clara County to create tobacco retail policies to prevent youth access to tobacco. As of May 2012, of the 15 cities in Santa Clara County, the County unincorporated and city of San Jose have a tobacco retail licensing: both jurisdictions have seen dramatice decreases in tobacco sales to minors after their TRL was implemented. Click on image to view video.

Youth advocates from Gilroy High School in California talk about why they are involved in advocating for reducing the influence of tobacco and alcohol in their community, and what they hope and envision for their community for future generations. Click on image to view video.